Hazardous Household Products in the Home

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Hazardous Household Products in the Home

• Healthy Homes Resource
• Purdue Extension
• 2005

2
Introduction

• Should you be concerned?
• What are hazardous household products?
• Use Safely
• Use Less
• Store Safely
• Safe Disposal
• Action Steps

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Should you Be concerned?

• Bleach
• Rat Poison
• Charcoal Lighter Fluid
• Gasoline
• Oil
• Toilet Cleaners
• Drain Cleaners
• Shoe Polish
• Bug Spray

• Household Products
• Not used in the right way
• Not stored properly
• Not disposed of properly
• Moth balls
• Oven Cleaner
• Wood Polish
• Drain cleaner
• Batteries
• Mercury Thermometers

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Health Concerns

• Eating of drinking
• Touching
• Breathing
• Sick to your stomach
• Dizzy
• Skin my itch or burn
• Eyes may water or hurt

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Amount of Harm

• Chemicals in the product
• How much product you are exposed to
• Length of exposure
• Frequency of exposure
• Your weight/physical condition

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Use Safely

• READ The LABEL
• Look for Caution, Warning, Flammable, Harmful,
  Danger, Poison
• Special Instructions
• Use in Well- Ventilated Area
• Wear Protective Clothing
• Keep Children and Pets Away

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Use Safely

• Never Mix Products
• Always put the cap back on
• Never leave where children can reach
• Dont eat, drink or smoke
• Poison Control Center 800-222-1222
• Syrup of Ipecac

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Use less

• Can you Cut down?
• Buy Only what you need
• Prevent pest problems
• Keep things clean
• Use tools known to be safe
• Toilet Plunger
• Vinegar (Cuts Grease)
• Baking Soda (For Scrubbing)

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Store Safely

• Keep away from children
• Store in package they came in
• Keep containers closed and dry
• Set in buckets to avoid leaking
• Store 150 feet from wells
• Keep away from fire, sparks, heat
• Store batteries and flammables away from direct
  sunlight

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Safe Disposal

• Share extra with others
• Take to community hazardous waste site
• Dispose of container carefully
• Never dump
• Never burn
• Recycle used motor oil and antifreeze
• Dispose of mercury carefully

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Action Steps

• Buy only what you need
• Use safe products
• Follow Directions
• Know Poison Control Center number
• Never mix two products
• Never mix ammonia and Bleach
• Keep out of reach of children

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More Action Steps

• Buy products in child proof containers
• Keep hazardous products in their original
  containers
• Give leftovers products to someone else to use
• Find out your community hazardous waste
  collection
• Recycle products
• Never bury or dump leftover products

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Hazardous Household Products Summary

• Products that harm people when not used in the
  right way
• Can Poison, Burn, Make you sick
• Follow directions
• Look for CAUTION, WARNING
• Use only what you need
• Look for alternatives
• Store safely
• Dispose of safely

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The End

• Questions?????
• Prepared by Catherine E. Burwell, PhD, and
• Kendra Freeman
• Purdue Cooperative Extension Service
• 2005.